Congestion at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is disrupting semiconductor shipments, with one global technology company suspending production due to delays, reports Manila's PortCalls.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer stated that shipments of wafers and storage devices have been significantly affected, with clearance rates dropping from 95 percent last year to 76 percent in under three days. He warned that this slowdown is undermining manufacturers' ability to meet tight turnaround commitments.

Erich Lingad, the immediate past president of the Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association, emphasized that the situation requires urgent government intervention beyond the Bureau of Customs. He cautioned that more manufacturers could halt operations if congestion persists.

The current crunch stems from the closure of Philippine Skylanders International's warehouse after airport operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp reclaimed its premises. With PSI and Miascor out of service, Paircargo and Cargohaus are the only customs bonded warehouses serving multiple carriers, which is stretching capacity thin.

Electronics are the Philippines' largest import and export commodity, and prolonged disruption threatens wider supply chains and export earnings. Paircargo, which handles about 70 percent of NAIA's cargo volume, has been overwhelmed by the surge.

The Bureau of Customs-NAIA has extended operating hours to 7 am-9 pm daily, including weekends, deployed more personnel, and encouraged releases in the morning to ease congestion. A Viber group has also been set up for stakeholders to track shipments.

Assistant Secretary Vincent Philip Maronilla mentioned that an agreement was reached on June 25 to convert part of Duty Free into a satellite facility with dedicated customs staff to process and release shipments on-site, a move aimed at relieving pressure on Paircargo.